Defence`s Feeds

On 17 March, the Republic of Serbia officially joined the EU Satcom Market. The EDA initiative is designed to provide flexible commercial satellite communication solutions for its contributing members.

Commercial satellite communications are used by all nations to provide extra capacity on top of their own military and governmental satellite communications. The EU Satcom Market provides a flexible and cost-effective way of doing this. 

Jorge Domecq, the EDA Chief Executive, welcomed Serbia's decision to join the EU Satcom Market project highlighting the benefits of the project as regards the provision of commercial satellite communication solutions. He added that this was a concrete step of the Republic of Serbia to enhance cooperation with EDA partners in the framework of the Administrative Arrangement between the Agency and the Serbian Ministry of Defence. 

The Republic of Serbia signed an Administrative Arrangement with the Agency in 2013 enabling it to participate in EDA projects and programmes. The EU Satcom Market is the first EDA project which the Republic of Serbia has decided to join.

Background

Within the EU Satcom Market project, EDA acts as the central purchasing body on behalf of the contributing members. It purchases the services from a commercial provider. The project uses a ‘pay-per-use’ model, so members do not have to contribute with regular fees, instead they only pay for what they order. 
Since May 2013, 32 orders have been passed for a total value of around €5.2 million. Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxemburg, Portugal, the Republic of Serbia, Romania, the United Kingdom, the Athena Mechanism, EUCAP Sahel Niger and EUCAP SAHEL Mali are now members of the project. Further participation is open to all EDA participating Member States as well as all entities entitled to take part in Agency activities.

 

More information

• EU SatCom Market project page
• Operations Support project page

 

Azali Nord Sud Hotel accomodationg the European Union Training Mission in Mali was shot Monday night by an attack, whose perpetrators were pushed back, killing one among the attackers. The hotel is located in the ACI 2000 quarter, close to the luxury Radisson Blu hotel which was hit on November 20 by a jihadist attack that killed 20 people besides the two assailants. Shooting, followed by exchanges of automatic weapons, broke out in the early evening in the exclusive area of the capital of Mali. Military EUTM and guards that provide protection building immediately returned fire. One of the attackers was shot. The attack against the Radisson was claimed by Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), in coordination with the jihadist group of Algerian Mokhtar Belmokhtar, al-mourabitoun, who had sealed this occasion his support for AQIM.
EUTM, which has some 600 personnel, brings together European soldiers from 25 countries, currently under German command. It was launched in February 2013, in the wake of the military operation at the initiative of France to drive the jihadists who controlled northern Mali. It aims to rebuild a Malian army under-trained and under-equipped in providing expertise in operational readiness, logistics support, intelligence and training of combat units on the Koulikoro camp (60 km north east of Bamako).

Tag: EUTM Mali

In the wake of the horrific terrorist attacks on Brussels, Sven Biscop argues that now is not the time for grand words but greater European solidarity and cooperation.

The post Staying Belgian, investing in Europe appeared first on European Geostrategy.

Chinese FN-6 Man-Portable Air Defense Missile System

Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

"I strongly condemn today’s dreadful terrorist attacks in Brussels, the capital of Belgium and the seat of many international organizations and institutions. I convey my deepest condolences to the families of the innocent victims and I wish a quick recovery to those injured."
"As Europeans we must stand united with Belgium in condemning and combatting terrorism in all its forms. The fight against terrorism should be global and, in the frame of its responsibilities, our subcommittee will remain committed to contribute enhancing international security."
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Exercise COLD BLADE 2016, hosted by the Finnish Defence Forces, was formally completed Wednesday evening March 16th 2016 by the Chief of Finnish Army Aviation, LtCol Jaro Kesänen.

At exercise closure, a total of 290 hours had been flown on 156 missions with 3 participating Member States (Finland and Germany, as well as Sweden which sent observers) and 10 European helicopters: seven NH-90, one MD500 and two CH-53GA. Italian attendees participated in the survival training.

This cold weather exercise was operated from Ivalo airbase in Finland. The challenging winter scenario in Lapland allowed Finland and Germany to train and adapt their aircrew to winter conditions. Besides the focus on flying in demanding white-out conditions, the exercise was used to test the helicopters, test the aircrew and to teach and learn Technics, Tactics and Procedures in a cold and snowy environment.

During the first week, Finland and Germany executed individual trainings, qualifying helicopter pilots and loadmasters in white-out landings and navigation skills in an area with barely any houses or roads. During day and night missions all training aims were met and, even with Night Vision Goggles, the nights were very dark in northern Finland. During the second week, formation flights with German CH-53GA and Finnish NH-90 helicopters were flown at night. While aircrew from Germany and Finland were flying, Italian militaries attended the survival course and learned how to survive in Lapland.

The German Detachment commander praised the unique nature of the exercise and stressed that the added value of cooperating with other nations and practicing winter operations in combined missions just could not have been achieved by working alone. The skills developed during the exercise are precisely those needed to conduct successful operations in the future. These types of exercises truly enhance helicopter capabilities in Europe which also reflects the objective of EDA’s Helicopter Exercise Programme (HEP). Since the first exercise in France in 2009, trainings have increased in scale, environmental challenges and complexity. Participants not only came from different nations but also from different branches with air force and army all working together. In exercise Cold Blade 2016, German Army NH-90 mechanics executed tests and exchanged information with their Finnish counterparts concerning winter maintenance, use of tools and NH-90 helicopter documentation.

This was the first EDA exercise hosted by Finland.

More information:      

• Factsheet COLD BLADE 2016
• COLD BLADE 2016 Video
• Infos on EDA Helicopter Initiatives

(picture above and video were provided by Finnish Defence Forces)

The Subcommittee held a Public Hearing on the Review of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) which is due in 2015, with experts from think tanks, NGOs and the EEAS.
Location : Brussels, room Altiero Spinelli 1G2
Programme
Draft programme
Poster
Poster
Background documents
Background documents
Presentations
Presentation by Rebecca Johnson, Director, Acronym Institute for Disarmament Diplomacy
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Russian PSS-2 Silenced Pistol

The public hearing "The crisis in Syria and the role of international and regional actors: security implications for Europe" was held on 16 March with researchers closely working on the issue and a representative from the EEAS. The hearing provided a better understanding of the situation on the ground, a vital requirement for bringing the conflict to an end.
Location : Altiero Spinelli 3G-2
Programme
Programme
Presentation
Presentation by Michael Benhamou
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

Presentation of the study "The future of EU Defence Research"
Securing commercial shipping lanes against piracy - Presentation by Simon Church, EU NAVFOR Somalia
Securing commercial shipping lanes against piracy - Presentation by Giles Noakes, BIMCO
Source : © European Union, 2016 - EP

German Heckler and Koch G3 Assault Rifle

South Korean KF-16 Lightweight Multi-Role Fighter

click to enlarge or go here.

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American M202 Incendiary Rocket Launcher

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